How Warby Parker Thrives On Brutal Honesty

Not wanting to be another
failed partnership, the founders of eyewear company
Warby Parker, who were former classmates at Wharton, decided
early on that they would be able to criticize each other openly,
honestly, and harshly, if needed.

How would they do this without building resentment between
one another?

In an interview with
Adam Bryant at The New York Times, co-founder Neil
Blumenthal says that every month the four founders return to the
bar where they originally came up with the idea, and one of them
is placed in the hot seat. According
to Blumenthal, during these "360
reviews," a partner might say, "When you
shoot me a 10-page email at 2 in the morning, I want to punch you
in the face."

"That set the tone for the culture at Warby Parker, which
would really be rooted in open and honest feedback,"
says Blumenthal.

This culture of communication isn't reserved only for the
founders. The entire Warby Parker staff is given a 360 review
every quarter. Although this takes up a lot of time, Blumenthal
says "as a manager, it’s your highest priority to be developing
your people." And employees should never be surprised
by how they're doing work-wise, he says.

Employees are
also asked to share their happiness rating on a scale of zero to
10 with their managers every week. This helps managers know
what's going on with their direct reports and identify trends
that appear.

The founders also have interesting methods for getting to
know who's working for them. In an
interview with Quartz, co-founder David Gilboa says
that they ask unexpected interview questions in order to reveal a
candidate's personality. For example, asking someone "what was
the last costume you wore," gives a glimpse into a
candidate's thought
process on a day when they can be
whoever they want.

"We find that people who are able to make the job
environment fun build followership more easily," says Gilboa."If
we hire the most technically skilled person in the world whose
work style doesn’t fit here, they won’t be successful."